Concentric cable



Oct. 14, 1941. T. F. PETERSON CONCENTRIC CABLE Filed Aug. 31, 1937 2 Sheets-Shes?l l INVENTOR. 730/2745 FP6 farao/7 Oct. 14, 1941. T. F. PETERSON 2,258,687

CONGENTRIC CABLE Filed Aug. 3l, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n n 1|||||||||A| I IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII l y INVENTOR. 7 y Tama Frso/v ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 14, 194,1i

Thomas F. Peterson, Worcester, Mass. Application August 31, 1937, Serial No. 161,814

4 claims. (ci. 11i- 115)- This invention relates to insulated cables of the type known as concentric cables in which a conductor is concentrically arranged with relation to a central conductor. `In the manufacture of cables of this type it is common practice to lay a number of bare wires helically around the insulatedl central conductor or core and thereby form the concentric conductor; usually a sumcient number "of wires are used to substantially l cover the core, and the concentric conductor can be insulated or merely protected mechanically by.

a iibrous or other covering. Numerous advantages follow from a cable construction of this character among them being a reduction ndiameter, reduction in weight, symmetry, low cost,

automatic shielding and the like. -There are,

however, disadvantages as well which follow pri-- i marily from the diflicultiesin splicing and thev necessity for cutting the concentric conductor in order to reach the inner conductor.

The present invention provides a cable of the concentric type which retains the advantages associated with such cables but has in addition among others the characteristic of being simple to splice or make connections. Brieily this is accomplished by forming the concentric conductor with reversed helical lays along the length of the cable. The reversals in lays can vary from each half turn up to several complete turns in one direction before reversing the lay in the opposite direction. By laying the wires forming the concentric conductor in this manner it is a comparatively simple matter to expose the insulated core at any desired point by pulling on the wires. Preferably the wires constituting the concentric conductor are held in place by a binder or covering; and by suitably lubricating the surfaces of the inner and outer layers adjoining the concentric serving the pulling of the wires toward a point at which the outer covering is opened is facilitated so as to give access to the insulated core. The cable with the reverse-lay concentric conductor is inexpensive to manufacture and can be produced at fairly high speed.

The invention as illustrated in the accompanyl ing drawings in-which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal view o! a three conductor cable embodying the invention and illustrating in part one type of covering; Fig. 2'is a longitudinal view of a two conductor i cable and illustrating in part a different form of covering fromv that of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a cross-- sectionon the line 3-3 of Fig. l; Fig. 4 shows in enlarged cross-section a modliication'of Fig. 2 in 4which the concentric conductor wires are laid in 55 `lustratedbythe wires I2 in Fig. 5.

. Fig. 1.

two separate groups; Fig. 5 illustrates a further modification lin which the wires forming the concentric conductor are individually spaced; Fig;6 illustrates a machine for producing the reverse 5 lay; and Fig. '7 is a cross section on line 1-1 of Fig. 6.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 3, the embodiment therein illustrated consists oi a core I0 formed by central conductors Hand I2 with their indi- 10 vidualinsulations I3 and Il and having wrapped about them a covering I5 which can be a roving, braid or tape, a. coating of compound, or the like; the covering I5 is preferably waxed. About the covering is helically laid the concentric conductor I6 composed of individual wires or strands Il.

At intervals the helical pitch of the wires is reversed in direction lateral to the core axis along the length of the cable as at I8; the angle traversed in one direction ranges from a partial turn to several complete turns about the core axis.

and thus reduce'the outside diameter 0f the cable.

Over the wires there can be placed any suitable form of binder or covering such as the braid I9 or equivalent roving or tape having a uni-directional pitch and shorter than tha't of the conductor I6; and this can be waxed or otherwise lubri- Y cated, as for example on the surface contacting the wires. The braid I9 can in turn be protected by a saturant or covering' 20 of other suitable material such as rubber, asbestos, coating of compound, armor or the like, or various combinations of these.

In the form illustrated in Fig. 2 the core 2| consists of a single conductor 22 (usually a number of iine wires) with its insulation 23 and wrapping 40 2l. About the wrapping is helically laid the concentric conductor 25 as in the embodiment of In this figure the concentric conductor is illustrated as being held in place by a helicallyf wound waxed tape 2l over which is placed the `braid 21, rubber or asbestos covering 28 and the protecting armor 29. l Y

As shown in the embodiments of Figs. 1 and 2, the wires forming` the concentric conductor are formed in a single group. They can, however,

be spread into two or more distinctive groups as I0 and 3|,l illustrated in Fig. 4; in this form by insulating the groups from each other a plurality d, of concentric Iconductors is possible.l 0r the wires can be individually spaced about the core as i1- In practice the wires forming'the-concentric Yconductor are advanced helically in one direction for a distance of one-half turn to several turns around the core. The concentric conductor is then reversed for about the same or a different distance, and the reversal repeated lalong the length of the cable. l

The reverse helical lay can be made by machine. Such a machine is illustrated in Fig. 6, in which a, frame 40 supports the various parts. At the lower end of the frame bearings 4I are 43, to which the reverse lay concentric conductor is to be applied. As a part of the frame 40 there is va transverse vconnecting member 44 carrying supports 45forispools of wire 46 for forming the concentric conductor. Extending through and journaled in the member is an elongated hollow spindle Lil through which the core is fed; the

lower end of the spindle carries a pinion i8 which is engaged by a gear t9 and mdunted on a stub shaft secured to the transverse member. A crank arm 5I is connected at one end to the gear and at the other end to an eccentric 52 mounted '0n a shaft 53 extending vertically of the frame. The shaft 53 is driven through the bench gears 5d and drive wheel 55.

The spindle il at i'tsupper end carries a head 56 which turns with the spindle. Through the head there are guideopenings 57! for the wires 15. The direction of rotation of the head is periodically reversed through the oscillation of the gear 49 by the crank 5i. The extent of rotation of the head in one direction is controlled bythe ratio of the gears datand 19, and canbe varied from a partial turn to several complete turns in one direction by substituting gears G3 and Il@ of the re- Y quired ratio.

The wires il@ pass from the oscillating head 56 around the core 33 passing through the spin- As they are wound about the core dle lil. through the rotation of the head 56, they together with the core are engaged by a nose piece 58 supported by a second transverse member 59 of the frame. The nose piece prevents separation of the wires from the core upon reversal of rotal tion of the head .56.

Rotatably mounted on the member 59 is a cradle Sil carrying spools 6l of thread, tape, braid or other covering material. The cradle is rotated through gearingf from the shaft 53. 'Ihe covering material is wound about the core and the applied wires from the nose piece. Any of the known mechanisms for braiding or otherwise applying a covering or binding material can be substituted for that illustrated.

A draw-off drum 63 is journaled in the top of the frame. The drum is turned atv the proper speed through gearing 64 `irom the shaft 53 to draw the core and the applied wires and covl ering through the machine.

From the descriptiongiven the operation of provided to support a reel 42 carrying the core about the core in a layer concentric with the core and insulated ltherefrom and with the direction reversed periodically-along the length of the core, and means for maintaining the strands about the core, said means including a wrapping having a uni-directional pitch about the core and a shorter pitch than the helical strands.

2. In an electric cable including a conductive core an electrically conducting element helically disposed about the core and insulated therefrom, the pitch of the helical element having its directionreversed periodically'along the length of the core at intervals with the angle traversed in each direction ranging from a partial turn to several complete turns, and means for maintaining the element about the lcore, said means including a wrapping having a uni-directional combination a central core including a conductor and insulation enclosing the conductor, a second about the corefand `a shorterv pitch than the helical pitch about the core and a shorter pitch than the helical strands.

3. Multiple conductor cable comprisingv in combination a central core including a conductor and insulation enclosing the conductor, a second conductor composed of strands concentric to the core and helically laid thereabout with its pitch reversed in direction lateral to the core axis periodically along the length of the cable f' at intervals with the angle traversed in each 'direction ranging from a partial turn to several complete turns, means for binding the strands to the core including an element having a uni-directional helical lay about the core and a shorter pitch than the strands of the second conductor, and a protective covering over the binding means.

4. Multiple conductor) cable comprising in conductor composed of strands concentric to the core and helically laid thereabout with its pitch reversed in direction lateral to the corel laxis periodically along the length of the cable at intervals with the angle traversed in each direction ranging from a partial turn to several complete turns, said cable having means for binding the strands to the core including an element having a uni-directional helical lay strands of the second conductor.

v'rietoiwias- F'. PETERSON. 

